Hepatitis B

This viral disease affects 1% of the population in France.

This virus is responsible for 10% of cases of chronic hepatitis and in 1% of cases of hepatitis fulminans (fatal in a few days).

In addition, it is responsible for 80% of primary liver cancer.

The virus is found in blood, semen and vaginal secretions, like AIDS, but hepatitis B is much more contagious.

So, the most exposed individuals are drug addicts and homosexuals (as in AIDS).

Also currently, there is a very significant increase in hepatitis B among heterosexuals more than a quarter of hepatitis B are heterosexually transmitted.

B virus is not transmitted by way of the placenta from mother to child during pregnancy but is passed from mother to child during childbirth. This transmission induced in 80% of chronic hepatitis in children.

The incubation period is longer than that of hepatitis A, it can go up to 4 months.

The symptoms are those of hepatitis: jaundice (jaundice), flu syndrome (see HEPATITIS).

10% of subjects with chronic hepatitis will develop. These topics are contagious and will change often to cirrhosis or liver cancer in the following years.

Contamination, in addition to sex, may be by blood. This is why the medical and paramedical staff is a population at risk.

Currently it is necessary to vaccinate all subjects at risk:

- People living with HIV HBV, that is to say, carrying the hepatitis B

- Medical staff,

- Subjects with multiple sexual partners,

- Homosexuals,

- Drug addicts,

- Newborns of mothers carrying the virus.

In reality, it is imperative vaccinate adolescents before their first sexual intercourse as the mode of transmission is common. Hepatitis B will become in the coming years a real public health problem if vaccination is not compulsory for all. It would even make mandatory vaccination against hepatitis B in infants, especially those born to mothers with the virus.

A new vaccine strategy seems to have reached a consensus in 1995.

You can get effective protection by two injections one month apart and a booster six months later,

We currently have three vaccines:

- GENEVAC B

- Engerix B

- HB vax DNA.

We can consider hepatitis B as an STD, sexually transmitted disease.

TREATMENT

Against hepatitis B, we can use corticosteroids, interferon alpha and sometimes some antiviral drugs such as Vidarabine acting competitively inhibiting DNA polymerase and thus prevents viral replication.

Interferon alpha can be transient side effects. It can trigger a flu-like illness with fever, fatigue, joint pain, low white blood cells and blood platelets, hair loss, depression syndrome. Sometimes thyroid abnormalities may occur.

These side effects are very well explained because these are the symptoms of the flu. The organization achieved by the influenza virus produces large amounts of alpha interferon. This overproduction intended to kill the virus causes the same symptoms as when administering interferon alpha for therapeutic purposes.

The treatment seems more effective if the patient is young, he is a woman, if the infection is recent, if not the yellow race. The treatment is of course against-indicated if the subject is infected vis-à-vis AIDS.

View:

- HEPATITIS A

- HEPATITIS A VACCINE

- HEPATITIS B VACCINE

- HEPATITIS C

- HEPATITIS D

- HEPATITIS E

- CHRONIC HEPATITIS

- VIRAL HEPATITIS

- MARKERS OF HEPATITIS